Ash tray



H. DE BOER Aug. 12, 1969 ASH TRAY Filed July 19, 196? F'lG.2

F'IG

INVENTOR.

HAA/E) 0: 6056 TTORNE Y5 United States Patent 3,460,876 ASH TRAY Henry De Boer, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to F. L. Jacobs Co., Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed July 19, 1967, Ser. No. 654,640

Int. Cl. B60n 3/08, 3/10, 3/12 U.S. Cl. 312-246 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is disclosed an ash receptacle or tray for installation within an automobile dashboard, including an ash receiving receptacle body or drawer slidable from a fully retracted and enclosed position within the dashboard to a fully open position forwardly of the dashboard. A housing is provided for attachment to the dashboard or other suitable support structure within the vehicle as is conventional in the art. The drawer is slidably received within the housing for withdrawal as the need arises.

The drawer has elongated guides 01' tracks on each side thereof. Each track comprises a bearing surface and a guide surface which are connected and are located approximately 90 apart. The housing is provided with a resilient tension element or tensioner, made from a plastic material, opposite each track. A single mounting element connects the tension element to the housing approximately midway between the ends thereof. Each tension element is provided with resilient bearing means and guide means which are in contact with the adjacent bearing surface and the guide surface respectively.

Specifically, each resilient tension element includes a pair of elongated cantileverly supported resilient arms interconnected on their inner ends and a pair of bearing protuberances. The resilient arms contact the corresponding bearing surface of the track and urge the drawer and in particular the bearing surface thereon into contact with the guide protuberances.

Background of the invention Numerous designs for vehicle ash trays have been made in the past. An acceptable ash tray design must meet a number of requirements. One requirement is that the ash tray construction must be susceptible to low cost manufacture. Another is that the design should be compact so as to use a minimum amount of space in the vehicle. The ash tray design must be rugged to withstand the stress of years of use in a vehicle.

Further in drawer-type ash trays, the drawer element must be easily slidable inwardly and outwardly and it must be sufficiently restrained so that it will not move without the application of an external force applied thereto. The construction must be such that the drawer will not bind or jam and that it will be maintained in proper alignment at all times. Finally, the drawer must be easily removable to permit emptying thereof.

The present invention utilizes a minimum number of parts including the resilient tension elements made from a plastic material and combines all of the aforementioned qualities to an optimum degree.

Summary of the invention The vehicle ash tray comprises a housing for fastening to a vehicle. A drawer for ashes is removably received in the housing. The drawer has an elongated track on each side thereof, each track comprising a bearing surface and a guide surface. The housing is provided with a resilient tension element or tensioner opposite each track. Each tension element includes resilient bearing means and ice guide means which are in contact with the adjacent bearing surface and guide surface respectively. Each bearing means comprises a pair of resilient arms connected on their inner ends and each guide means comprises a pair of guide protuberances. The resilient arms acting against the corresponding bearing surface urges the drawer against the guide protuberances to maintain the drawer in proper alignment in the housing.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the ash tray in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a resilient tension element;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the resilient tension element;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the resilient tension element;

FIGURE 6 is a rear elevational view of the resilient tension element;

FIGURE 7 is a bottom view of the resilient tension element.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a vehicle ash tray 10 comprising a housing 12 and a drawer or tray 14 which is removably received in the housing 12. In use, the housing 12 is secured to a suitable panel or support structure in the vehicle, usually the vehicle dashboard.

The housing 12 is made from metal and comprises an upper plate-like portion 16 having downwardly directed side walls 18 and 20 on each side thereof. Each side wall 18 and 20 is provided, intermediate the edges thereof, with an outwardly extending longitudinally curved zone 22 of transverse V-shaped cross section. The zone 22 includes a downwardly and outwardly extending wall portion 24 and an inwardly and downwardly extending wall portion 26 as best illustrated in FIGURE 2. The wall portion 26 terminates in a flange portion 28. Angle A between wall portions 24 and 26 is approximately 90 as shown in FIG. 2.

The drawer 14 is made from metal and includes a bottom 30 having upwardly extending walls 32 and 34. Each wall 32 and 34 is provided with an outwardly extending longitudinally curved metal track 36 of substantially V- shaped cross section. Each track 36 comprises an upper downwardly and outwardly extending bearing surface 38 and a lower downwardly and inwardly extending guide surface 40. The upper ends of the side walls 32 and 34 are provided with inwardly extending flanges 42 and 44 respectively. Angle B, between the bearing and guide surfaces 38 and 40, is approximately 90 as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 37 inclusive illustrate the resilient tension element or tensioner 50. The element is made entirely from a self-lubricating material such as a plastic material, as an example from nylon. The element 50 comprises bearing means 52 and guide means 54. The bearing means 52 are in the form of a pair of longitudinally aligned cantileverly supported resilient arms 56. The adjacent and inner ends of the arms 56 are connected by a bridge or strap portion 58. The outer ends of the arms 56 are unsupported and free. The arms 56 are provided with contacting surfaces 60 which are located in a plane 62. The surfaces 60 contact the bearing surface 38 of the corresponding track 36 with a minimum of friction contact therebetween due to the small area of contact.

The guide means 54 of each tension element 50 comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced apart guide protuberances 64 which are located on a wall or flange 66 connected to the strap 58. The flange 66 is located at one side of the resilient arms 56 as best illustrated in 3 FIGURES 3 and 7. The guide protuberances 64 are provided with contacting surfaces 68 which are located in a second plane 70. Planes 62 and 70 intersect at approximately 90. The strap 58 is provided with a mounting opening 59 which is centrally located midway between the ends of element 50.

A pair of tension elements 50 are located in each tray 10, with one element 50 opposite each track 36. Each element 50 is connected to the housing 12 by means of a single rivet or fastener 72 which extends through the element 50 and the wall portion 24 as best illustrated in FIGURE 2. With such a construction the flange 66 abuts the wall portion 26 while the strap 58 abuts the other Wall portion 24 as best illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Each tension element or tensioner 50 is formed or molded as a single and integral unit from a plastic material such as nylon or from other self-lubricating materials which are well known in the art. The tension element 50 is resilient whereby the arms 56 function as springs. With such a construction there is no requirement for metal springs, rollers, ball bearings, etc. as in prior art devices. Thus the plastic tension element or tensioner 50 performs the various functions previously performed by metal springs and plastic rollers in some prior art devices.

It should be noted that the contacting bearing and guide surfaces 60 and 68 of each element 50 have substantially line contact with the corresponding metal track surface thus minimizing friction contact therebetween and thereby insuring longer life and lower maintenance costs.

The drawer 14 when assembled in the housing 12 is held in proper alignment by means of the tensioners 50. The resilient arms 56 exert a biasing force on the bearing surface 38 of the drawer 14 effective to hold the guide surface 36 of the drawer 14 in contact with the guide protuberance 64 and to thus insure proper alignment of the drawer 14 as it is moved with respect to housing 12 in the usual manner.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved ash tray in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A vehicle ash tray comprising a housing for fastening same to a vehicle, a drawer for ashes removably received in said housing, an elongated track on each side of said housing, each track having a bearing surface and a guide surface, a resilient tension element connected to said housing opposite each track, each tension element having thereon resilient bearing means and guide means in contact with the adjacent bearing surface and guide surface respectively, said bearing means maintaining said drawer in contact with said guide means, said bearing means on each tension element comprising a pair of Iongitudinally aligned cantileverly supported resilient arms interconnected on their inner ends, said arms contacting the corresponding bearing surface.

2. The ash tray defined in claim 1 wherein said bearing surface and said guide surface of each track intersect and are located at an angle.

3. The ash tray defined in claim 2 wherein said angle is approximately 90.

4. The ash tray defined in claim 1 wherein the bearing means on each tension element comprises a pair of longitudinally aligned cantileverly supported resilient arms interconnected on their inner ends, said arms contacting the corresponding bearing surface.

5. The ash tray defined in claim 1 wherein the guide means on each tension element comprises a pair of spaced apart guide protuberances which contact the corresponding guide surfaces.

6. The ash tray defined in claim 1, wherein the bearing means on each tension element comprises a pair of longitudinally aligned cantileverly supported resilient arms interconnected on their inner ends, and the guide means on the same tension element comprising a pair of spaced apart guide protuberances, said resilient arms and guide protuberances contacting the corresponding bearing surface and the guide surface respectively, each pair of resilient arms including contacting surfaces which are located in a first plane, and each pair of guide protuberances including contacting surfaces which are loaded in a second plane which intersects said first plane at an angle.

7. The ash tray defined in claim 6 wherein said angle is approximately 8. The ash tray defined in claim 1 wherein each resilient tension element is connected to said housing by means of a single mounting element.

9. The ash tray defined in claim 8 wherein said single mounting element is centrally located between the ends of said resilient tension element.

10. A vehicle ash tray comprising a housing for fastening same to a vehicle, a drawer for ashes removably received in said housing, an elongated track on each side of said housing, each track having a bearing surface and a guide surface which intersect, a resilient tension ele ment on said housing opposite each track, each tension element having thereon bearing means and guide means, said bearing means having a pair of cantileverly supported resilient arms interconnected on their inner ends, said arms having contacting surfaces which are located in a first plane, said guide means having thereon a pair of guide protuberances having contacting surfaces which are located in a second plane, said first and second planes intersecting at an angle, the contacting surfaces of said resilient arms and said guide protuberances being in contact with the adjacent bearing surface and guide surface respectively, said resilient arms maintaining said drawer in contact with said guide protuberances.

13. The ash tray defined in claim 10 wherein said angle is 9 12. The ash tray defined in claim 11 wherein a single mounting element is provided for each tension element, said mounting element being located midway between the ends of said tension element.

13. The ash tray defined in claim 12 wherein each resilient tension element is made from a plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,462,397 2/1949 Hendricks 312-246 2,944,865 7/1960 Hammesfahr 312-246 X 3,355,232 11/1967 Blake 312246 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 206-l9; 312-242 

